JP3971884B2 - Method and apparatus for assembling mask assembly - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Field of the Invention]
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention relates to a method for assembling a mask assembly disposed and moved opposite to a film forming material source in a mask film forming line for performing mask film formation on a liquid crystal glass substrate or the like, and used for assembling such a mask assembly. And an assembling apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the mask film formation line of the liquid crystal glass substrate, for example, when the deposition material source is on the lower side, the liquid crystal glass substrate is placed on the upper side of the mask and the liquid crystal glass substrate is placed above the film formation material source. The mask film is formed by moving in a certain direction.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
At this time, if only the liquid crystal glass substrate is placed on the mask, a deviation occurs between the glass substrate and the mask during film formation, and there is a possibility that film formation with good quality cannot be performed. For this reason, it is conceivable to form a mask assembly in which a pressing plate in which a magnet is further embedded is placed on a liquid crystal glass substrate, and a mask which is a magnetic material is sucked and fixed through the liquid crystal glass substrate. Then, by transporting such a mask assembly above the deposition material source at a constant speed, desired film deposition can be performed on the substrate portion exposed from the mask.
[0004]
However, if the holder is placed on the liquid crystal glass substrate that is positioned and positioned on the mask, the mask and the liquid crystal glass substrate are attracted to the holder by the magnetic force of the magnet and lifted. It cannot be held well positioned. For this reason, when mounting a mask holder on a liquid crystal glass substrate, it is necessary to hold down the glass substrate. Although this operation can be performed manually, the workability is poor and sufficient accuracy cannot be obtained.
[0005]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for assembling the above mask assembly easily and accurately.
[0006]
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembling apparatus that is used when assembling the above-described mask assembly easily and accurately.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, a method for assembling a mask assembly according to the present invention includes a substrate to be deposited, a mask that partially supports and shields the deposition surface of the substrate, and the mask. And a holder that presses the substrate against the mask from the back side by the suction force of the mask assembly, wherein the film assembly surface is positioned on the mask and the substrate is placed above the substrate. A first step of holding the holder in a state of being separated from the mask, and pressing the back surface of the substrate on the mask with a plurality of pressing pins respectively inserted into a plurality of openings provided in the holder, thereby masking the substrate In the second step of urging the substrate against the position and preventing the displacement, and pressing the substrate against the mask with a plurality of pressing pins, the holder is brought close to the substrate and pressed against the substrate by a suction force. And a third step of.
[0008]
Here, the plurality of pressing pins that press the back surface of the substrate on the mask is preferably driven by a pneumatic cylinder. Thus, even when the pressing pin is retracted when the holder is brought close to the substrate, the pressing force applied to the back surface of the substrate by the pressing pin can be kept constant.
[0009]
In the assembling method, in the second step, the substrate is urged against the mask by pressing the back surface of the substrate on the mask with a plurality of pressing pins respectively inserted into the plurality of openings provided in the holder. In order to prevent misalignment, when the holder is brought close to the substrate in the third step and pressed against the substrate by suction force, the misalignment does not occur between the mask and the substrate. No mask assembly can be obtained.
[0010]
Further, the assembling apparatus according to the present invention separates from the mask a holder capable of pressing the substrate against the mask from the back side by a suction force between the mask for partially supporting and shielding the film formation surface of the substrate. A holder holding means for holding the substrate in a closed state, a plurality of pressing pins that are inserted through a plurality of openings provided in the holder and that can be brought into contact with the back surface of the substrate positioned on the mask, and a plurality of pressing pins are mounted on the substrate. And a pin driving means capable of preventing displacement of the substrate and the mask by pressing the back surface and urging the substrate against the mask.
[0011]
In the assembly apparatus, the substrate is biased against the mask by pressing the back surface of the substrate aligned on the mask with a plurality of pressing pins in a state where the holder is separated from the mask by the holder holding means. Therefore, even when the holder is released and the holder is brought close to the substrate and pressed against the substrate by a suction force, the displacement between the mask and the substrate can be prevented. Therefore, the mask assembly can be precisely assembled by a simple operation.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a mask assembly assembling method and an assembling apparatus according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a film forming apparatus that performs mask film formation using a mask assembly. The film forming apparatus includes a vacuum container 10 that is a film forming chamber, a plasma gun 30 that is a plasma source that supplies a plasma beam PB into the vacuum container 10, and a plasma beam PB that is disposed at the bottom of the vacuum container 10. An incident anode member 50, a transfer mechanism 70 disposed above the vacuum vessel 10 to move the mask assembly MA above the anode member 50, and a vacuum exhaust device for adjusting the inside of the vacuum vessel 10 to a predetermined degree of vacuum and atmosphere. Etc., and an atmosphere adjustment device 90 made of the like.
[0014]
Here, the plasma gun 30 is a pressure gradient type plasma gun that generates a plasma beam PB. Between the plasma gun 30 and the vacuum vessel 10, intermediate electrodes 41 and 42 that guide the plasma beam PB to the vacuum vessel 10. Further, a steering coil 44 and the like are disposed. The anode member 50 includes a hearth 51 having a hearth body 53 for guiding the plasma beam PB from the plasma gun 30 downward and containing an evaporation material, and an annular auxiliary anode 52 disposed around the hearth. The transport mechanism 70 has a plurality of rollers 72 arranged in the transport path 71 at equal intervals in the horizontal direction, and a driving device (the drive device (a) that moves the mask assembly MA at a constant speed by rotating these rollers 72 at an appropriate speed. (Not shown).
[0015]
In this film forming apparatus, a discharge is generated between the cathode 31 of the plasma gun 30 and the hearth 51 in the vacuum vessel 10, thereby generating a plasma beam PB. The plasma beam PB reaches the hearth 51 by being guided by a magnetic field determined by a steering coil 44, a permanent magnet in the auxiliary anode 52, or the like. An evaporation material such as ITO (indium tin oxide) accommodated in the hearth body 53 is heated by the plasma beam PB to evaporate. The evaporated particles are ionized by the plasma beam PB and adhere to the surface of the liquid crystal glass substrate exposed on the lower surface of the mask assembly MA that moves at a constant speed by the transport mechanism 70, where ITO (indium tin oxide) or the like is deposited. A film is formed.
[0016]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the mask assembly MA. The mask assembly MA has a structure in which a liquid crystal glass substrate W to be deposited is sandwiched between a mask M and a holder H.
[0017]
The liquid crystal glass substrate W is a rectangular thin plate, the film-forming surface Wa faces the mask M, and the back surface Wb faces the holder H. The mask M is a frame-like thin plate having a pair of openings, and is made of a magnetic material. The holder H has the same outer shape as the mask M, but has a certain thickness and incorporates a magnet for attracting the mask M. The holder H has a large number of openings Ha formed at equal intervals so that pressing pins of an assembling apparatus described later can be inserted.
[0018]
The mask M partially supports and shields the film formation surface Wa of the liquid crystal glass substrate W during film formation. The holder H presses the liquid crystal glass substrate W against the mask M from the back surface Wb side by a magnetic attractive force between the holder H and the mask M. Thereby, the mask M and the liquid crystal glass substrate W can be held in an aligned state.
[0019]
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the structure of the assembling apparatus for the mask assembly MA. This assembling apparatus includes an assembling hand 100 for setting the held holder H on the mask M on which the liquid crystal glass substrate W is placed, and a conveying apparatus 200 that is a conveying robot for conveying the assembling hand 100 to a target place. A position sensor 300 that detects the position of the assembly hand 100 and feeds it back to the conveying device 200; and an intake / exhaust device 400 that operates suction pads, pneumatic cylinders, and the like, which will be described later, provided on the assembly hand 100 at appropriate timings; Is provided. The operations of the transport device 200, the position sensor 300, and the intake / exhaust device 400 are controlled centrally by a computer (not shown).
[0020]
The assembly hand 100 is attached to the lower portion of the hand body 2 at equal intervals and extends downward, the movable member 4 that is close to or away from the hand body 2, and the lower surface of the movable member 4 at equal intervals. And a number of pressing pins 5 that extend downward and a pneumatic cylinder 6 that moves the movable member 4 up and down.
[0021]
The suction members 3 are holder holding means, and each suction member 3 has a suction pad 3a at the tip. Each suction pad 3a can suck an appropriate position on the upper surface of the holder H of the mask assembly MA shown in FIG. The movable member 4 has a guide bar 4 a that is passed through an opening 2 a provided in the hand body 2, and moves up and down smoothly with respect to the hand body 2. The movable member 4 is provided with a plurality of openings 4d. The suction members 3 are passed through the openings 4d so that interference between the movable member 4 and the suction members 3 is avoided. The lower ends of the pressing pins 5 extending from the movable member 4 have the same height and are arranged on the same plane. Although described in detail later, the liquid crystal glass substrate W placed on the mask M can be uniformly pressed from the back surface by the pressing pins 5 having such an arrangement. The pneumatic cylinder 6 is connected to the movable member 4 via a connecting member 7 as pin driving means, and is lowered to a lower end position where the lower end of the pressing pin 5 is lower than the lower end of the suction pad 3a by a predetermined distance. be able to.
[0022]
FIGS. 4-6 is a figure explaining the assembly of the mask assembly MA using the assembly apparatus shown in FIG.
[0023]
First, in the assembly hand 100, a gas having an appropriate pressure is supplied to the pneumatic cylinder 6 to lower the movable member 4 to the lower end position. Further, using the transport device 200 and the position sensor 300, the assembling hand 100 is moved to above the holder H placed on the support pin SP and lowered there. Thus, the suction pad 3a can be sucked to the back surface of the holder H, and the holder H can be held at the lower part of the assembly hand 100 (see FIG. 4A). At this time, since the pressing pin 5 is passed through the opening Ha provided in the holder H, interference between the holder H and the pressing pin 5 is avoided.
[0024]
Next, the assembly hand 100 holding the holder H is moved above the liquid crystal glass substrate W on the mask M by using the transfer device 200 and the position sensor 300 (see FIG. 4B). Here, the mask M and the liquid crystal glass substrate W with the film formation surface on the lower side are precisely positioned and arranged in advance.
[0025]
Next, using the transport device 200 and the position sensor 300, the assembly hand 100 holding the holder H is appropriately lowered, and the liquid crystal glass substrate W on the mask M is pressed from the back side with the tip of the pressing pin 5. Then, the liquid crystal glass substrate W is urged to the mask M to fix the liquid crystal glass substrate W and the mask M to each other (see FIG. 5A). At this time, since the internal pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 6 is adjusted to an appropriate value, the force for pressing the liquid crystal glass substrate W against the mask M can be maintained at an appropriate value.
[0026]
In the illustrated state, the magnetic force from the holder H does not reach the mask M. That is, when the movable member 4 is at the lower end position, the lower end of the pressing pin 5 is lower than the lower end of the suction pad 3a by a distance obtained by adding the thickness of the holder H and the distance at which the magnetic field of the holder H is sufficiently attenuated. It has become.
[0027]
Next, using the conveying device 200 and the position sensor 300, the assembly hand 100 holding the holder H is further lowered, the holder H is gradually brought close to the back surface of the liquid crystal glass substrate W, and the holder H is liquid crystal glass. The substrate is brought into contact with the back surface of the substrate W. (See FIG. 5 (b)). Here, even if the assembling hand 100 is lowered, the pneumatic cylinder 6 becomes an interference member and the movable member 4 rises, so that the liquid crystal glass substrate W is fixed to the mask M with a predetermined pressing force. The That is, even if the mask M is attracted to the holder H by the magnetic force of the magnet in the holder H, the mask M and the liquid crystal glass substrate W do not move while being positioned because the liquid crystal glass substrate W is pressed by the pressing pin 5. The pressing force of the liquid crystal glass substrate W by the pressing pin 5 is maintained at a constant value determined by the supply pressure and the pressure receiving area of the pneumatic cylinder 6 even when the assembly hand 100 is lowered.
[0028]
Next, the suction by the suction pad 3a is released, and the assembling hand 100 is raised using the transport device 200 and the position sensor 300 (see FIG. 6A). Further, the assembly hand 100 is raised so that the tip of the pressing pin 5 is positioned higher than the upper end of the holder H (see FIG. 6B). At this stage, since the mask M is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet in the holder H, the three points of the mask M, the liquid crystal glass substrate W, and the holder H are in close contact.
[0029]
As described above, the liquid crystal glass substrate W can be positioned and sandwiched between the mask M and the holder H, and the mask assembly MA to be put into the film forming apparatus of FIG. 1 can be assembled.
[0030]
Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the mask assembly MA is used not only in a deposit-up type mask film forming line as shown in FIG. 1, but also in a depot-down type mask film forming line in which the material source is on the upper side and the mask assembly MA is on the lower side. be able to.
[0031]
Further, the material for forming a film using the mask assembly MA is not limited to a transparent conductive film material such as ITO, and various materials such as a metal film, a dielectric film, and an insulating film can be used.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the method of assembling a mask assembly according to the present invention, in the second step, a plurality of pressings in which the back surface of the substrate on the mask is inserted through a plurality of openings provided in the holder, respectively. By pressing with a pin, this substrate is urged against the mask to prevent displacement, so when the holder is brought close to the substrate and pressed against the substrate by the suction force in the third step, Misalignment does not occur between the mask and the substrate, and the occurrence of misalignment can be prevented by simple work.
[0033]
Further, according to the assembling apparatus of the present invention, in the assembling apparatus, the back surface of the substrate aligned on the mask is pressed by the plurality of pressing pins in a state where the holder is separated from the mask by the holder holding means. The substrate can be urged against the mask to prevent displacement, so that even when the holder is released and the holder is brought close to the substrate and pressed against the substrate by a suction force, There is no displacement between the substrate and the substrate, and the mask assembly can be precisely assembled by a simple operation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a film forming apparatus for performing mask film formation using a mask assembly.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of a mask assembly.
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the structure of an assembling apparatus for a mask assembly.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a process of assembling a mask assembly using the apparatus of FIG.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a process of assembling a mask assembly using the apparatus of FIG.
6A and 6B are views for explaining an assembly process of a mask assembly using the apparatus of FIG. 3;
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Hand body 3 Suction member 3a Suction pad 4 Movable member 5 Pushing pin 6 Pneumatic cylinder 10 Vacuum vessel 30 Plasma gun 50 Anode member 51 Hearth 70 Transport mechanism 71 Transport path 72 Roll 100 Assembly hand 200 Transport device 300 Position sensor 400 Suction Exhaust device H Holder M Mask MA Mask assembly PB Plasma beam W Liquid crystal glass substrate

Claims (2)

A mask assembly comprising: a substrate to be deposited; a mask that partially supports and shields the deposition surface of the substrate; and a holder that presses the substrate against the mask from the back side by a suction force between the mask and the mask. A three-dimensional assembly method,
A first step of holding the holder in a state of being separated from the mask above the substrate positioned and placed on the mask with the film formation surface facing down;
The substrate is pressed against the mask by a plurality of pressing pins inserted through a plurality of openings provided in the holder on the back surface of the substrate on the mask, thereby preventing misalignment. Process,
And a third step of bringing the holder close to the substrate and pressing it against the substrate by the suction force in a state where the substrate is urged against the mask by the plurality of pressing pins. Assembly method. Holder holder that holds a holder that can be pressed against the mask from the back side by a suction force between a mask for partially supporting and shielding the deposition surface of the substrate in a state of being separated from the mask. Means,
A plurality of pressing pins that are respectively inserted into a plurality of openings provided in the holder and that can contact the back surface of the substrate positioned on the mask;
An assembly apparatus comprising: a pin driving unit capable of preventing displacement of the substrate and the mask by pressing the plurality of pressing pins against the back surface of the substrate and urging the substrate against the mask.

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